The Way We Treat Infertility Is Broken (And what works)
Watch on YouTube →What is infertility actually? Is it a disease with a single solution, or the symptom of underlying reproductive health conditions? That distinction changes everything, including whether a one-size-fits-all path is really the best way to help couples. 🎓 Check out the FREE RRM Academy: https://rrmacademy.org/ 🎁 Includes FREE guides to NaProTechnology, FEMM, and NeoFertility: https://rrmacademy.org/guides 👉 Subscribe for weekly, evidence-based education on assisted reproduction and reproductive medicine. CHAPTERS 0:00 What is infertility, actually? 0:32 Why people have been misled: a Reddit deep dive 1:15 "Everything's normal" and unexplained infertility 2:56 PCOS, ovulation, and why infertility is often a 50-50 issue 5:18 Blocked fallopian tubes and what bloodwork can't catch 6:48 Male factor infertility and sperm health 8:14 One-day periods, thin uterine lining, and a second opinion 12:13 Why charting your cycle matters 12:38 Where "infertility is a disease" comes from (ASRM's definition) 14:44 How some states are redefining infertility 15:18 100+ possible causes of infertility 16:24 What is restorative reproductive medicine (RRM)? 17:50 Three RRM approaches: NaProTechnology, FEMM, NeoFertility 19:05 RRM vs. integrative and holistic care 20:16 Does it work? RRM outcomes vs. IVF success rates 21:45 A mother's story: PCOS and heart health 23:42 Resources and wrap-up DIVE INTO RETHINKING FERTILITY 🔗 Follow, Watch, Listen: linktr.ee/rethinkingfertility 👉 Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss next week's episode. SHOW NOTES & SOURCES Unexplained infertility • ASRM Practice Committee. Evidence-based treatments for couples with unexplained infertility (2020): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32106976/ • CDC ART National Summary, 2022: https://www.cdc.gov/art/php/surveillance/index.html PCOS • WHO PCOS fact sheet: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/polycystic-ovary-syndrome Men and infertility • ASRM (2026), Half of infertility cases involve men: https://www.asrm.org/news-and-events/asrm-news/press-releasesbulletins/half-of-infertility-cases-involve-men.-why-does-care-still-treat-it-as-a-womens-issue/ Tubal disease and the first IVF birth • Steptoe & Edwards, The Lancet 1978: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/79723/ • ASRM, Role of tubal surgery (2021): https://www.asrm.org/practice-guidance/practice-committee-documents/role-of-tubal-surgery-in-the-era-of-assisted-reproductive-technology-a-committee-opinion-2021/ Sperm counts and sperm health • Levine et al., Human Reproduction Update 2023: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36377604/ • Heller & Clermont, Science 1963: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.140.3563.184 • Misell et al., Journal of Urology 2006: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16406920/ How ASRM defines infertility • ASRM, Definition of infertility (2023): https://prod.asrm.org/globalassets/_asrm/practice-guidance/practice-guidelines/pdf/definition-of-infertility.pdf State definitions of infertility • Colorado HB 20-1158 • California SB 729 • Illinois HB 3709 (2021) • Maine P.L. 2021, c. 692 • New Jersey P.L. 2023, c. 258 The "1% a year" claims (presented as Dr. Casey Means' claims, not measured data) • Means, Good Energy (Avery, 2024): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/727184 Restorative reproductive medicine • Stanford, Parnell, Boyle, J Am Board Fam Med 2008: https://www.jabfm.org/content/21/5/375 • Frank-Herrmann et al., Arch Gynecol Obstet 2017: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28185073/ • Boyle et al., Frontiers in Medicine 2018: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6079215/ IVF success by age • SART National Summary Report, 2023: https://www.sart.org/Publications_Overview Learn more about RRM • RRM Academy guides: https://rrmacademy.org/guides • FEMM: https://femmhealth.org • NaProTechnology: https://naprotechnology.com • NeoFertility: https://neofertility.ie • International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine: https://iirrm.org/ Rethinking Fertility has no affiliation with these organizations. This episode is educational and not medical advice. Rethinking Fertility, hosted by policy expert Emma Waters, equips families with honest, evidence‑based education on reproductive technology — grounded in science and a biblical understanding of what it means to be human in an age of limitless medical possibility. #RethinkingFertility #Fertility #Infertility #ReproductiveTechnology #ReproductiveHealth #familyplanning #IVF #FertilityIndustry #InfertilityJourney #Christian #RestorativeReproductiveMedicine #PCOS #UnexplainedInfertility